This invention relates generally to apparatus for the collection and compaction of refuse or garbage and, more particularly, to devices for the compaction of refuse on collection vehicles or at collection sites. The collection and disposal of refuse from residences and businesses is performed more efficiently if the collected waste material can be packed or compacted as soon as possible. In collection vehicles and in stationery collection boxes, various compaction mechanisms have been employed, with varying degrees of success. One type uses a hydraulically powered ram to force the waste material toward one end of a container. Another type, with which the invention is concerned, uses an oscillating paddle to compress the material on alternate sides of the container or hopper.
Previous oscillating paddle designs for packers have been excessively heavy, or required complicated control mechanisms, or did not provide a large enough packing force. Some prior systems used a rack and pinion mechanism to actuate the packing paddle, but this approach is costly in terms of both weight and initial cost. Other designs have used two actuating hydraulic cylinders, only one of which is active at any time, but this results in an uneven torque being applied to the paddle. It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is still a significant need for improvement in the design of paddle-type refuse packer assemblies. The present invention satisfies this need.